Pakistan carries out another missile test ahead of SAARC meeting

Rawalpindi: Pakistan successfully test-fired an indigenously developed short-range nuclear-capable missile on Saturday, the military establishment announced from its headquarters in the garrison city of Rawlapindi, located near the country's capital Islamabad. The surface-to-surface Abdali ballistic missile has a range of 200 kilometers (125 miles) and "can carry all types of warheads," the military said in a statement.

The launch of the missile was conducted from an unspecified location in Pakistan, the military said. All the required technical parameters have been met, the statement added.

The test is the fourth missile test carried out by the military regime in Pakistan over the last 10 days.

According to analysts, the tests were timed to come ahead of the SAARC meeting scheduled in India, which is now in progress. Analysts say that such tests are meant to aid the military regime in Pakistan strike the required postures before they step into any meetings with India, which is the recognized military power in the region.

The tests may also be an attempt by the military regime to divert public attention at home from increasing domestic troubles, and also as it tries to fend off increasingly tough demands from US and NATO allies over its conduct of operations against the Taliban and al Qaeda terrorists entrenched on its territory.